Get a behind the scenes look at the Gopher Football program with our new series: Brick by Brick.

Bill Miller, who is in his second stint on the University of Minnesota coaching staff, adds 36 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Gopher staff. The well-respected Miller holds the title of assistant head coach and is also responsible for coaching the linebackers.

Miller helped shape a defense in 2013 that allowed only 289 points, which was the first time that Minnesota allowed less than 300 points since 2004.

Miller had to replace two starters at linebacker in 2013 and did an adiramble job with his corps. Junior college transfer Damien Wilson was second on the team with 78 tackles, while Aaron Hill finished third with 64. James Manuel was sixth on the team with 54 tackles. Miller's linebackers also made big plays in 2013, as Hill scored two touchdowns and Manuel scored one.

Miller has worked with virtually a who's who in the college football coaching world. In addition to working with coach Jerry Kill, Miller served on staffs under Nick Saban, Jimmy Johnson, Ron Zook, Dirk Koetter, Chuck Shelton, Pat Jones, College Football Hall of Fame member Chris Ault and the late Bud Elliott.

He was a semifinalst for the Broyles Award, which is presented annually to college football's Assistant Coach of the Year, while at Michigan State (2000) and Florida (2003). Miller has been on staff with five teams that have won conference championships and has coached in 11 bowl games.

Prior to joining the Gophers, Miller most recently coached the linebackers and served as the co-defensive coordinator for Kansas in 2009.

Miller's previous experience at Minnesota was from 1986-88, when he served as the Gophers' defensive backs coach on John Gutekunst's staff. He helped lead Minnesota to a 20-17 win at Michigan as the Gophers handed the previously unbeaten and second-ranked Wolverines their first loss of the season. The win helped Minnesota qualify for the 1986 Liberty Bowl where they played Tennessee.

Miller coached the linebackers at Louisville in 2008 and had been promoted to defensive coordinator before accepting the aforementioned position at Kansas. Miller was the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2007.

He was the defensive coordinator at Arizona State from 2005-06 on coach Koetter's staff and quickly turned around the Sun Devil defense. In one year, he took the Arizona State defense from last in the Pac-10 to second (behind USC) in total defense.

In 2003-04, Miller was the associate head coach and linebackers coach at Florida. He spent 1999-2002 at Michigan State as the Spartans' defensive coordinator on coach Saban's staff. While in East Lansing, Miller's defense finished first in the Big Ten in total defense and the Spartans beat Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.

From 1995-98, he ran the defense for Miami (Fla.) and won two Big East championships as a member of coach Butch Davis' staff. From 1989-94, Miller was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.

He coordinated the defense at Nevada from 1983-85. His defense led the Big Sky in total defense twice as the Wolf Pack won two Big Sky championships during his tenure.

His first full-time job in collegiate coaching was in 1981, when he coached the secondary at Drake for two seasons. Miller got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Texas-Arlington in 1978 on coach Elliott's staff. He followed that with a stint as a graduate assistant for two seasons (1979-80) at Oklahoma State under coach Johnson.

Miller, who also coached in the 1991 Blue-Gray Football Classic, is a graduate of Hutchinson (Kan.) High School. He played two years at Hutchinson Junior College in 1974-75 and then finished his collegiate career playing safety at Texas-Arlington in 1976-77.

Miller, who earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas-Arlington in 1978, and his wife Lisa have two grown children, Cole and Jackson. Cole recently received his degree in economics and international relations from Michigan State, while Jackson is a student at Michigan State.